Neighbour's delivery damaged my property
Discussion
Hi,
My new neighbours who have an adjoining driveway had a patio delivered last week. Unfortunately the delivery van/lorry's wheel went through a sewer manhole cover on my driveway. The delivery people replaced the cover with a second hand item but the frame and surrounding concrete is damaged and needs replacing.
I've phoned the delivery people, who say the neighbour gave them permission to use my driveway so it's up to them to pay for the repair (been quoted £200).
So what should I do? I want it sorted out quickly so that nothing falls into the sewer and blocks it.
Sadly there's no garden to hammer frozen sausages into.
Thanks
My new neighbours who have an adjoining driveway had a patio delivered last week. Unfortunately the delivery van/lorry's wheel went through a sewer manhole cover on my driveway. The delivery people replaced the cover with a second hand item but the frame and surrounding concrete is damaged and needs replacing.
I've phoned the delivery people, who say the neighbour gave them permission to use my driveway so it's up to them to pay for the repair (been quoted £200).
So what should I do? I want it sorted out quickly so that nothing falls into the sewer and blocks it.
Sadly there's no garden to hammer frozen sausages into.
Thanks
Delivery folks should have had more common. I recently moved to a corner house on a cul-de-sac. The mashoosive removal van parked on the road and totally blocked my neighbour in on move day. When I asked why they didn't pull the van onto my equally mahoosive drive, the driver said it could crush any services under the drive. Same with B&Q when they delivered my new kitchen, so obvious a good driver will know.
Also a neighbour can't give permission for another persons property so that's b
ks too. If they damaged it, its them you need to be chasing.
Also a neighbour can't give permission for another persons property so that's b
ks too. If they damaged it, its them you need to be chasing.Wocka said:
Thanks for the replies. Next door have offered to pay, so I may take them up on that. Would prefer it if the delivery company paid though seeing as they did the damage..
Small claims is likely to be a pita for £200?
I think you might find that the contract the delivery company has with your neighbour passes the liability for damage done by the delivery lorry once it is off the public highway on to the neighbour. Fairly sure its fairly standard in de;livery contracts.Small claims is likely to be a pita for £200?
theboss said:
Its interesting to hear that a typical sewer cover specced for a residential driveway would cave in under the weight of a van - or are we talking about something much larger? I'd be inclined to just take it on the chin and replace with something substantially stronger.
We don't know that the cover was the correct spec. Plenty of people buy cheap ones from Wickes that will hardly take the weight of a car. Doesn't matter if the cover was made of tin foil, the driver should not have driven on either driveway, and certainly not the neighbours drive.
The driver should have had more sense, I delivered skips in a previous life and found that home owners tend to be unaware just how heavy skip/hiab lorries are, and don't realise just how little driveways are able to handle. I very rarely put skips on paved driveways, and with obvious drain covers, no feckin way.
As for the delivery company having a t&c about passing damage back to the homeowner/hirer/purchaser, that's true. But only if the damage is caused to the property your delivering to. Not the neighbours.
I did once turn up to a house to be asked to run the lorry up and down the driveway a few times to break up the slabs. Not often people thank you for wrecking a driveway
The driver should have had more sense, I delivered skips in a previous life and found that home owners tend to be unaware just how heavy skip/hiab lorries are, and don't realise just how little driveways are able to handle. I very rarely put skips on paved driveways, and with obvious drain covers, no feckin way.
As for the delivery company having a t&c about passing damage back to the homeowner/hirer/purchaser, that's true. But only if the damage is caused to the property your delivering to. Not the neighbours.
I did once turn up to a house to be asked to run the lorry up and down the driveway a few times to break up the slabs. Not often people thank you for wrecking a driveway
Wocka said:
Thanks for the replies. Next door have offered to pay, so I may take them up on that. Would prefer it if the delivery company paid though seeing as they did the damage..
Small claims is likely to be a pita for £200?
PoP.Small claims is likely to be a pita for £200?
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
All helpful replies, thanks.
I don't know what the van/lorry was as I knew nothing about it until I came home. The manhole cover may have been old, I'm fairly sure I've driven vans over it before though. In any case they damaged something on my property without my permission to be there.
The company want to talk to next door for some inexplicable reason, which luckily he's happy to do. I should know who's paying in the next day or two. If neither are forthcoming I'll small claims the delivery people.
I don't know what the van/lorry was as I knew nothing about it until I came home. The manhole cover may have been old, I'm fairly sure I've driven vans over it before though. In any case they damaged something on my property without my permission to be there.
The company want to talk to next door for some inexplicable reason, which luckily he's happy to do. I should know who's paying in the next day or two. If neither are forthcoming I'll small claims the delivery people.
Andehh said:
Good on your neighbors for offering, but it isn't their fault IMO. Delivery men should be responsible for the damage they caused!
All well and good in theory but in practice its slightly different because the ultimate response to the driver always being liable for damage they cause (or getting stck) is that they'll refuse to go off the public highway.We'll then see posts that the lazy delivery driver dropped by goods on the verge and couldn't be bothered to drive down my drive etc.
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